The Guns Of Loos (1928)

THURSDAY 01 JANUARY - 12:00 AM

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The Guns Of Loos (1928)

SUNDAY 11 FEBRUARY - 3:00 PM

GREAT WAR: UNKNOWN WARSILENT FILM FORTNIGHT

Stephen HornepianoMartin Pynepercussion

The Guns of Loos marked a bold new approach to depicting the war on screen. Previous British war films concentrated on highly detailed, documentary-style reconstructions of particular battles, with little attempt at drama or character.

For this film, the striking recreations of the conflict at Loos provide the backdrop to an intense psychological drama about a factory owner whose dictatorial manner and apparent nerves of steel quickly unravel when faced with the horrors of war. Combining strong performances with outstanding cinematography, the film received rave reviews on its release in 1928, with many critics declaring it the best war film ever made. Stephen Horne’s specially commissioned score was first performed in 2015 to mark the anniversary of the battle.

Turner Sims in partnership with the University of Southampton’s Film and Music departments presents a three-part series focusing on the film heritage of the First World War. With introductions to each film, expert insights and guests, including two of the country’s leading silent film score performers, the series of screenings and talks will show the role cinema played in memorialising the war after the armistice, and reflect on cinema’s continued importance to our present day understanding of the conflict.

Silent Film Fortnight is part of the University of Southampton’s Great War: Unknown War series of events marking the lead-up to the anniversary of World War I’s ending in November 2018. The Fortnight is produced by Turner Sims in partnership with the University’s Film and Music departments, and Faculty of Health Sciences, the British Film Institute, the Gateways to the First World War centre (funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council), City Eye, and the Cavell Nurses’ Trust.